Central American And Caribbean Games 2026 Day 2 Roundup: Colombia’s Seven-Run Surge Fuels Comeback Victory Over Mexico

Day 2 of the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games delivered dominant performances, dramatic finishes and statement victories as the race for the baseball gold medal continued to take shape.

Colombia (1-1) 12, Mexico (0-2) 3  – On Saturday morning, Colombia erupted for seven runs in the fifth inning to power past Mexico, earning its first victory of the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games.

Colombia broke the game open with a seven-run fifth inning, fueled by Jesús Marriaga’s four RBIs and Dario Borrero’s three-RBI performance to build a commanding lead.

Andruw Mathius Salcedo López hit an RBI double in the fourth inning, and Colombia added three more runs in the fifth as Salcedo López and Borrero scored on wild pitches before Tito Luis Polo González drove in Jaider Mateo Morelos Castilla with an RBI single.

In the sixth inning, Carlos Andrés Arroyo Padilla drove in  Borrero with an RBI double down the left-field line, while Jordan David Díaz Sandoval scored on a walk.

Mexico jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning as Carlos Báez scored the game’s first run before José Luis Robledo crossed the plate later in the frame to cap the early rally.

Carlos Báez added an RBI in the second inning to extend Mexico’s lead to 3-1, but Colombia’s pitching held the offense scoreless the rest of the way to complete the comeback.

Andruw Salcedo with an RBI double to bring Colombia within 1 in the 4th against Mexico pic.twitter.com/PCrhFGOLh3

— Jeff Duda (@INTLBaseball24) August 1, 2026

Dominican Republic (1-1) 11, Curaçao (0-2) 1 – The Dominican Republic cruised to an 11-1 mercy-rule victory over Curaçao in five innings Saturday, collecting 15 hits behind a strong outing from veteran right-hander Esmil Rogers.

Esmil Rogers earned his first win of the tournament with a five-inning complete game, allowing one run on three hits and one walk while striking out seven after settling in following Stefan Vidal’s RBI hit in the first inning.

Deivi Muñoz sparked the Dominican Republic’s offense with an RBI triple in the third inning before Yairo Zaul Muñoz followed with a two-run single up the middle, scoring Gilberto Celestino and Muñoz to extend the lead.

Ricardo Céspedes sparked the Dominican Republic’s offense with an RBI double in the first inning before Pedro Severino scored on Alfredo Antonio Reyes Marte’s bunt single and Céspedes later crossed the plate on a throwing error, while Michael De León added an RBI single in the second inning and Diego Hernández Liriano capped the scoring with an RBI single in the fifth.

Curaçao took an early lead in the top of the opening frame when catcher Stefan Vidal hit an RBI single to drive in an early run.

Curaçao managed just three hits as the Dominican Republic’s 15-hit attack produced multi-run innings that put the game out of reach.

Michael De León with an RBI single and the Dominican Republic leads 8-1 in the second pic.twitter.com/o78p4mF8nt

— Jeff Duda (@INTLBaseball24) August 2, 2026

Cuba (2-0) 4, Puerto Rico (1-1) 0 – Cuba delivered a dominant all-around performance, combining timely offense with a shutdown pitching effort to shut out Puerto Rico and remain perfect through two games at the 2026 Central American and Caribbean Games.

Cuba extended its lead in the second inning when Yasiel González García launched a solo home run to deep left field before Andrys Pérez added an RBI single in the fourth inning to score José Noroña.

Yoel Yanqui capped Cuba’s offensive performance in the seventh inning with a two-run double to left-center field, driving in Yoelkis Guibert and Luis Vicente Mateo.

Cuba’s pitching depth and strong defensive performance were key factors in the victory, as the staff neutralized Puerto Rico’s veteran lineup and held the offense without an extra-base hit.

Puerto Rico was held scoreless as Cuba’s pitching staff silenced its offense, preventing any scoring throughout the game.

After allowing three runs in the opening inning, Puerto Rico’s bullpen settled in and limited Cuba to just one run over the remainder of the contest.

Yoel Yanqui with a two run double and Cuba leads 4-0! pic.twitter.com/QsWoMwHp2j

— Jeff Duda (@INTLBaseball24) August 1, 2026

Panama (2-0) 1, Nicaragua (1-1) 0 – Panama continued its dominant start to the tournament, staying undefeated after relying on stellar pitching and timely defensive plays to secure a hard-fought victory in a tightly contested matchup.

The game’s only run was scored in the bottom of the 7th inning when Joshwan Wright hit a line-drive single to center field, driving in Jael Escobar from second base for a walk-off win.

Panama’s offense was held in check for most of the game, managing just five total hits against Nicaragua’s pitching

Panama’s starting pitcher Dario Agrazal masterfully led a dominant shutout, keeping Nicaragua’s lineup completely locked in a tense 0-0 gridlock until the final walk-off victory.

In the top of the second inning, Emanuel Trujillo grounded into a double play, while Elian Miranda led Nicaragua’s offense by going 2-for-3 at the plate and starting pitcher Keny Cruz delivered a strong performance on the mound.

Nicaragua dropped a tightly contested 1-0 low-scoring battle, as starting pitcher Keny Cruz delivered a standout performance before Panama scored the game’s only run in the seventh inning.

Joshwan Wright’s walk-off single gives Panama a 1-0 win over Nicaragua in the Central American and Caribbean Games pic.twitter.com/lY4uU6b4H1

— Jeff Duda (@INTLBaseball24) August 1, 2026

Photo courtesy of the World Baseball and Softball Confederation